Science

Charles Goodyear accidentally discovered vulcanization. Image credit – Wikimedia Natural rubber was known for its weaknesses, such as being sticky at high temperatures and brittle at low temperatures, which made it unsuitable for extensive industrial applications. Charles Goodyear’s attempts to enhance natural rubber were underway in 1839. Then came the pivotal moment.Historical literature describes the…

Mount Uturuncu, a Bolivian volcano, is not on the brink of a massive eruption as previously feared. New research reveals its ‘zombie’ behaviour stems from migrating hydrothermal fluids and gases, not an imminent magma buildup. A huge shadow has been hanging over the Bolivian Plateau for many years. Standing more than 6,000 meters above the…

In 1967, Jocelyn Bell Burnell discovered an unusual, regularly pulsing radio signal. This led to the identification of pulsars, rapidly rotating neutron stars, a previously theoretical celestial body. Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons Looking into the heavens in the middle part of the twentieth century did not always require viewing the starry night through a glass…

The world’s largest meteorite never made it to a museum. Image credit – Wikimedia Meteorites are usually shown as small rocks housed behind glass panes in a museum display. Yet, some of the biggest meteorites ever unearthed resemble trucks more than they do stones. Such colossal chunks of iron and rock fell to the surface…

In 1978, utility workers in Mexico City unearthed the massive Coyolxauhqui Stone, a significant Aztec artefact. This discovery revealed the Templo Mayor, the empire’s religious and political centre, buried beneath the modern city. Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons Any digging in the concrete of a modern metropolis would most likely bring up only remnants of ancient…

Deep inside Medellin, Colombia, scientists are breeding millions of mosquitoes every week and then releasing them into the environment on purpose. At first, that may sound strange, especially because mosquitoes are known for spreading dangerous diseases. But researchers say these insects are actually being used to help stop illnesses like dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and yellow…

Somewhere between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, a giant metallic world drifts silently through deep space. Unlike ordinary rocky asteroids, 16 Psyche has captured global attention because scientists believe it may contain enormous quantities of valuable metals, including iron, nickel, platinum, and possibly more gold than has ever been mined on Earth. The asteroid’s…

Erik Erikson (Image: Wikipedia) Hope is one of those things people rarely notice when life feels stable. It quietly sits in the background while plans move normally, relationships feel secure, and the future appears manageable. Most people do not wake up every morning consciously thinking about hope. They simply assume tomorrow will arrive and life…

In 1831, a sand-clearing resident on the Isle of Lewis unearthed 93 elaborately carved figures, the Lewis Chessmen, made of walrus ivory and whale teeth. Image Credits: British Museum, via Wikimedia Commons Long before the Isle of Lewis came to be known as a hiking paradise for history lovers, there was a hidden story that…

In 2001, a metal detectorist in Kent unearthed the Ringlemere Cup, a rare Bronze Age gold bowl. Image Credits: British Museum, via Wikimedia Commons While searching an average field in Kent, Cliff Bradshaw was accustomed to seeing the typical pieces of metal waste and junk common to the English landscape. But on an uneventful day…